Metal Precipitates (metal + precipitate)

Distribution by Scientific Domains


Selected Abstracts


Treatment of Process Water Containing Heavy Metals with a Two-Stage Electrolysis Procedure in a Membrane Electrolysis Cell

ENGINEERING IN LIFE SCIENCES (ELECTRONIC), Issue 2 2005
R. Fischer
Abstract The capability of a two-stage electrochemical treatment for the regeneration of acidic heavy-metal containing process water was examined. The process water came from sediment bioleaching and was characterized by a wide spectrum of dissolved metals, a high sulfate content, and a pH of about 3. In the modular laboratory model cell used, the anode chamber and the cathode chamber were separated by a central chamber fitted with an ion exchanger membrane on either side. The experiments were carried out applying a platinum anode and a graphite cathode at a current density of 0.1,A/cm2. The circulation flow of the process water in the batch process amounted to 35,L/h, the electrolysis duration was 5.5,h at maximum and the total electrolysis current was about 1,A. In the first stage, the acidic process water containing metals passed through the cathode chamber. In the second stage, the cathodically pretreated process water was electrolyzed anodically. In the cathode chamber the main load of dissolved Cu, Zn, Cr and Pb was eliminated. The sulfuric acid surplus of 3,4,g/L decreased to about 1,g/L, the pH rose from initially 3.0 to 4,5, but the desired pH of 9,10 was not achieved. Precipitation in the proximity to the cathode evidently takes place at a higher pH than farther away. The dominant process in the anode chamber was the precipitation of amorphous MnO2 owing to the oxidation of dissolved Mn(II). The further depletion of the remaining heavy metals in the cathodically pretreated process water by subsequent anodic treatment was nearly exhaustive, more than 99,% of Cd, Cr, Cu, Mn, Ni, Pb, and Zn were removed from the leachate. The high depletion of heavy metals might be due to both the sorption on MnO2 precipitates and/or basic ferrous sulfate formed anodically, and the migration of metal ions through the cation exchanger membrane via the middle chamber into the cathode chamber. In the anode chamber, the sulfuric acid content increased to 6,7,g/L and the pH sank to 1.7. All heavy metals contained, with the exception of Zn, were removed to levels below the German limits for discharging industrial wastewaters into the receiving water. Moreover, the metal-depleted and acid-enriched process waters could be returned to the leaching process, hence reducing the output of wastewater. The results indicated that heavy metals could be removed from acidic process waters by two-stage electrochemical treatment to a large extent. However, to improve the efficiency of metal removal and to establish the electrochemical treatment in practice, further work is necessary to optimize the operation of the process with respect to current density, energy consumption, discharging of metal precipitates deposited in the electrode chambers and preventing membrane clogging. [source]


X-ray excited optical luminescence from crystalline silicon

PHYSICA STATUS SOLIDI - RAPID RESEARCH LETTERS, Issue 9 2009
Paul Gundel
Abstract Synchrotron based X-ray excited optical luminescence (XEOL) has been measured with many direct bandgap semiconductors. We present XEOL measurements on crystalline silicon (Si), obtained despite of its indirect bandgap and the consequently low luminescence efficiency. Spectra of monocrystalline and multicrystalline (mc) Si at room temperature are compared to theoretical spectra. A possible application in the synchrotron-based research on mc-Si is exemplified by combining XEOL, X-ray fluorescence (XRF) spectroscopy, photoluminescence (PL) spectroscopy, and microscope images of grain boundaries. This approach can be utilized to investigate the recombination activity of metal precipitates, to analyze areas of different lifetimes on mc-Si samples and to correlate additional material parameters to XRF measurements. (© 2009 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim) [source]


Synchrotron microscopy and spectroscopy for analysis of crystal defects in silicon

PHYSICA STATUS SOLIDI (C) - CURRENT TOPICS IN SOLID STATE PHYSICS, Issue 3 2009
Winfried Seifert
Abstract The paper discusses the synchrotron-based microprobe techniques XBIC (X-ray beam induced current), ,-XRF (X-ray fluorescence microscopy) and ,-XAS (X-ray absorption microspectroscopy) and their application for studying electrical activity of defects and precipitation of transition metals in Si materials. Investigations were performed on samples of block-cast multicrystalline Si and on model samples cut from a bonded monocrystalline wafer. To analyze the precipitation sites, Ni, Cu and Fe were introduced intentionally into the samples. The detected precipitates were found to consist of silicides. Evidence for metal precipitates was also found in virtually uncontaminated as-grown block-cast Si. Besides Ni precipitates detected at a recombination active grain boundary, particles containing one or several metals (Cu, Fe, Ti, V) were observed. Unexpectedly, these particles seem to exhibit low only recombination activity. Further studies are necessary to identify their nature. (© 2009 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim) [source]


Precipitation and recovery of metal sulfides from metal containing acidic wastewater in a sulfidogenic down-flow fluidized bed reactor

BIOTECHNOLOGY & BIOENGINEERING, Issue 1 2009
Marisol Gallegos-Garcia
Abstract This study reports the feasibility of recovering metal precipitates from a synthetic acidic wastewater containing ethanol, Fe, Zn, and Cd at an organic loading rate of 2.5 g COD/L-day and a COD to sulfate ratio of 0.8 in a sulfate reducing down-flow fluidized bed reactor. The metals were added at increasing loading rates: Fe from 104 to 320 mg/L-day, Zn from 20 to 220 mg/L-day, and Cd from 5 to 20 mg/L-day. The maximum COD and sulfate removals attained were 54% and 41%, respectively. The biofilm reactor was operated at pH as low as 5.0 with stable performance, and no adverse effect over COD consumption or sulfide production was observed. The metals precipitation efficiencies obtained for Fe, Zn, and Cd exceeded 99.7%, 99.3%, and 99.4%, respectively. The total recovered precipitate was estimated to be 90% of the theoretical mass expected as metal sulfides. The precipitate was mainly recovered from the bottom of the reactor and the equalizer. The analysis of the precipitates showed the presence of pyrite (FeS2), sphalerite (ZnS) and greenockite (CdS); no metal hydroxides or carbonates in crystalline phases were identified. This study is the first in reporting the feasibility to recover metal sulfides separated from the biomass in a sulfate reducing process in one stage. Biotechnol. Bioeng. 2009;102: 91,99. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. [source]